Monday, October 29, 2012

Submitted by Ms. Amanda!When the little artist of I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont is caught by his Mama painting the ceiling, walls, curtains and door he is told, “YA AIN’T A-GONNA PAINT NO MORE!” However, that is not the case. As the story continues, the black and white pages are filled with color as he creates a work of art. The rhyming text is written to the tune of “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More.” Each verse stars the little one painting a part of his body a different color. Red for his head, green for his neck, pink for his chest, and on and on 'til he comes to his butt… Too bad there is no more paint! All out of paint, and in the bath tub, he promises, “I ain’t gonna paint no more!" This adorable story of a precocious artist is written in a bouncy beat, with beautiful black and white illustrations that slowly gain color as the story progresses. This a great book to read to talk about color and body parts. It can be read or sung--either way it is an enjoyable tale that any parent and child can relate to. See this book listed in our catalog

Friday, October 26, 2012

Animal Pants by Brian Moses. All the animals "from the biggest gorillas to the tiniest ants" are happily showing off their brightly colored underpants. Among the animals participating in this story about undies are a warthog, skunk, cat, frog, hippo, crab, seagull, and even an octopus. There's a cat who buys her pants from a catalog, and a frog who wears pants when he's off for a jog. Not to mention, a penguin with frozen pants, or the difficulties of finding undies for an octopus. This book includes great rhyming text and silly colorful artwork! Giggles are guaranteed while reading this fun book! Toddlers will love this book as they are at the age where they are also trying on underpants. See this book listed in our catalog

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Bear Has a Story to Tell is the latest from the magnificent duo of Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead, creators of the award winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee. It's a wonderful book to share with your little one this autumn, as the weather grows colder, and the leaves begin to fall. Bear is about to go down for his long winter nap, but first he has a story to tell. Unfortunately, most of his friends are busy preparing for the fast-approaching winter. Frog needs to find a warm place to hibernate. Duck needs to fly south. Mouse needs to gather seeds. Bear helps all his friends, but doesn't get to tell his story. When warm weather returns, Bear is excited to finally tell his story! He welcomes all of his friends, one by one, to the balmy spring of their shared forest. Once they are all settled and ready to hear Bear's story... he's forgotten it! "It was such a good story," he laments. Can Bear's friends help him remember or come up with a new one? (You bet they can.) Bear Has a Story to Tell is a lovely, and gently illustrated, story about changing seasons, and helping friends. See this book listed in our catalog

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein. Amelia smiled and it spurred a chain of positive reactions across the globe. Because Amelia smiled, a man from Paris asked a woman in Italy to marry him, a four year old boy in Israel discovered he liked to dance, a woman in New York made a scarf for her niece, and the list goes on and on. The message is clear: when you act, there is a consequence. This book is a positive way to explain the concept of “cause and effect” to children. The illustration style, while very detailed, is done with a technique that could be easy for children to emulate. You can extend the message by asking children to create an image, like the pictures from the book, of their good deed and its consequence. This book is joy to read on any occasion and at any age. Sometimes you need to read a book like this to be reminded that your good deeds may find a way back to you, even if it was just a simple smile started the whole thing going. See this book listed in our catalog

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Jungle Run by Tony Mitton and Guy Parker-Rees. Cub shows up to take her place in the Jungle Run, but the others say “You’re too small to race.” Parrot squawks to start the fun as the animals run off, leaving poor Cub in a cloud of dust. As they enter the clearing, the larger animals get tangled and twisted in the big vine net, while Cub is able to slip straight through, taking the lead. Next, Cub swings across the stream, leaving poor elephant being used as a stepping stone, lying in the water. Finally, they all grab a mat at the top of the slide to surf to the bottom where the finish line awaits them. Elephant’s mat goes out of control--he loses his balance and starts to roll, bringing all the animals into one big whirl. They all land safely in the lake at the finish, where there’s juice and cake. But where is Cub? This is a book you’ll enjoy reading again and again, as children search high and low to spot all the animals following the race. See this book listed in our catalog

Monday, October 22, 2012

Traffic Pups by Michelle Meadows, illustrated by Dan Andreasen. When last we saw these intrepid stuffed dogs from Pilot Pups¸ they were flying high in the sky in their planes and helicopters. Now they’re back, and this time they’re patrolling the busy roads on motorcycles. The Traffic Pups have their work cut out for them: chasing down speeding mice and frogs and a red-light-running goose, and rescuing a teddy bear from a crash. Next they lead a parade, and finally race home to their police station (the toybox) just in the nick of time to avoid discovery by the boy whose toy vehicles they’ve borrowed. Michelle Meadows’s bouncy rhymes add to the fun of the pups’ motorcycle adventure, and Dan Andreasen’s whimsical illustrations capture the action and excitement perfectly. Young readers will love the silly details and toy-sized perspective as the tiny pups race around the playroom floor: a discarded book becomes a ramp for jumping, blocks become a cityscape, and furniture legs are giant obstacles. If you like dogs, vehicles, or fun and zippy stories, check out Traffic Pups today! See this book listed in our catalog

Friday, October 19, 2012

If All the Animals Came Inside by Eric Pinder. Children and adults alike will enjoy this funny and rhythmic book. A young boy imagines what would happen if a menagerie of animals moved into his house. As he envisions all the excitement the animals would create, he slowly realizes that perhaps having a house full of wild animals would be less fun than he originally thought. Eric Pinder’s fun, rhythmic, and rhyming text make for an excellent read-aloud. Children will be chanting along with the repeated line at the end of each section. Marc Brown’s energetic artwork is a perfect match for the text. Much like his fun Dancing Feet, these bright and beautiful cut-paper illustrations are filled with humor and delight. This is an entertaining and funny book that will be a great addition to story time as well as lap-reads at home. See this book listed in our catalog

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Magritte’s Marvelous Hat by D.B. Johnson. While you might think that surrealism would make a poor subject for a children’s picture book, you would be incorrect. Children will be able to relate to the simple story of a painter who loses track of a favorite hat. Paired with D. B. Johnson’s beautiful illustrations that pay homage to the famous surrealist painter, René Magritte, children are given a fantastic introduction to the world of surrealism. The pictures will have children and adults alike returning to the pages to find all of the strange and wonderful treasures and tricks hidden in the fantastic illustrations throughout the book. An author’s note at the end of the story gives an interesting and succinct description of the surrealist art and may encourage children with an artistic bent to learn more about this fascinating world of art and imagination. See this book listed in our catalog

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Ten Tiny Toes by Todd Tarpley, illustrated by Marc Brown. This delightful peek into a baby and toddler's life as they grow shows us many clever observations of ten tiny toes. A baby’s toes are sweet and tender to patty-cake and kiss when first born. They are rocked and swung as they grow. They wiggle and dance, they crawl and prance. Then ten tiny toes soon will crawl, and will be hopping and bopping all on their own. There is nothing so sweet and loved evermore than ten little toes. The cute collage and colored pencil illustrations in this story book are just right for young children and new parents to celebrate the joy of little ones and their ten little toes. See this book listed in our catalog

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Oh, No! by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann begins when Frog falls into a deep, deep hole. He can't get out and he yells for help. Along comes Mouse. She tries to help Frog by reaching down, but she falls in too. Now they are both trapped. Loris comes along and tries to help. She inches down from her tree, but then she sneezes and falls in. Oh, no! Now Frog, Mouse, and Loris are trapped down in the hole. Then along comes Bear, and Monkey, and they both fall in. Along comes Tiger, who looks down in the hole and sees all the animals stuck, and he licks his teeth as he sees a tasty feast. Oh, no! The animals don't want Tiger's help. Then along comes Elephant shaking the ground as he comes to help the others. All that shaking causes Tiger to fall in. Elephant reaches in his long trunk and pulls out Frog, Mouse, Loris, Bear, and Monkey. They are all safe from the hole and from Tiger. Will they help Tiger out? Oh, No! See this book listed in our catalog

Monday, October 15, 2012

For dog lovers and pet owners small and tall, Shaggy Dogs Waggy Dogs by Patricia Hubbell is a delightful book about some of our best friends. Donald Wu’s wonderful illustrations show perfectly the expressions of each shaggy or waggy dog, and the verses are charmingly funny. Dogs of all shapes, sizes, colors, and breeds, are captured in this rhyming picture book which is sure to entertain the pre-school age child. Whether your pup is itty-bitty, sly or bold, thin or saggy, sleepy or playful--the best thing your doggy likes to do is love you! See this book listed in our catalog

Friday, October 12, 2012

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann is a most amusing story about a policeman and his dog. Officer Buckle has a very important duty as part of his police work. He is a safety officer, and has taken his safety tips presentation to some schools in the area. However, the student audiences are not very excited about learning these tips. In fact, they become so bored, they most often fall asleep! Officer Buckle is about to give up, when he is introduced to Gloria, his new canine partner. He takes Gloria along to his next presentation, after making sure that she will sit and behave during his speech, and the results are amazing. Officer Buckle doesn’t understand why his listeners have become so enthusiastic, until one day he sees himself and Gloria on a TV show. This is a great read aloud book for pre-k and early grade level children. The illustrations are hilarious, and the premise of the story is as catchy as the characters are charming. See this book listed in our catalog